Beard wrap device

ABSTRACT

A beard wrap device is provided to wrap around and cover a portion of a human beard. The beard wrap device includes a pair of ear loops configured to hang from ears of a user, and a receptacle comprising a first corner, a second corner, a first flap, and a second flap. A first one of the pair of ear loops is connected to the first corner and a second one of the pair of ear loops is connected to the second corner, the first corner comprises a first fastener, the second corner comprises a second fastener, an end of the first flap comprises a third fastener, and an end of the second flap comprises a fourth fastener. The first fastener is to couple to the third fastener and the second fastener is to couple to the fourth fastener to form the receptacle.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 63/105,653, filed Oct. 26, 2020, which is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates in general to cosmetic wraps for hair and, moreparticularly, facial hair.

Beards have reemerged in recent years as a popular and fashionablefeature in men's grooming. While many decades of product developmentaround hair care have resulted in a myriad array of treatments andrelated products available in the market. Such products may beill-suited to beards, mustaches, or other facial hairstyles.Additionally, similar or substitute products are often not available foruse with facial hair, among other example issues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an example beard wrap device in a wrappedstate;

FIG. 2 is a view of the interior surface of an example beard wrap devicein an unwrapped state;

FIG. 3 is a view of an example beard wrap device in a partially wrappedstate;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an external surface of an example beardwrap device in an unwrapped state;

FIG. 5 is another perspective view of an external surface of an examplebeard wrap device in an unwrapped state;

FIGS. 6A-6B are close-up views of example ear loop component of examplebeard wrap devices;

FIGS. 7A-7F are photographs showing the application of a beard wrapdevice to the face of a human user.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Facial hair may be treated through a variety of conditioners, creams,ointments, oils, and other treatments. Applying such treatments mayinvolve keeping the treatment ingredients in prolonged contact with theuser's facial hair. Keeping product on the hair on the head may be moremanageable than doing the same with treatments that are to be applied tobeards and mustaches. Do to gravity, when the user is upright, a largerportion of the hair may be atop the user's head and may be more prone tostay on the top of the head, as opposed to facial hair which maynaturally slip off or run down the face and facial hair of the userwhile the user is upright.

In an improved arrangement, an example beard wrap device is provided toassist users in applying products to facial hair and keeping the productnear or in contact with the hair, while preventing leakage, dripping, orother loss of the product (and associated messes).

FIG. 1 shows a front view of an example beard wrap device 100 in awrapped state. When in the wrapped state, the beard wrap enrobes atleast a portion of the beard (and potentially also a portion of thechin) of a human user and is adapted to catch and contain product fromleaking downward from the beard and enhance the effectiveness of thetreatment provided through application of the product. In someinstances, the product may be applied to the beard hair directly, withthe beard wrap wrapped and attached to the user following application ofthe product. In other instances, the beard wrap may be utilized toperform application of the product, for instance, by applying theproduct to the inside of the wrap and then wrapping the beard wraparound the beard of the user. In still other examples, product may beapplied to the facial hair while the beard wrap is secured to the user(and surrounds the portion of the facial hair to which the product is tobe employed, among other example implementations.

In some implementations, the components of an example beard wrap devicemay include an interior envelope 105 formed when the beard wrap deviceis in its wrapped state. The beard of a user may be enrobed within theenvelope 105 to contain liquid, gel, cream, or other products that areto be applied over a direction of time to the user's beard. Ear loops(e.g., 110, 115) may be provided to connect the beard wrap device to theears of the user. The beard wrap device may be brought into its wrappedstate by connecting (e.g., via a hook and loop fastener, snap, button,adhesive, or other fastening mechanism) a lower left corner 135 to anupper right corner 120 of the beard wrap device, and connecting (e.g.,using a similar fastener) the lower right corner 130 to an upper leftcorner 125 of the beard wrap device. The right and left ear loops (e.g.,110 and 115 respectively) may be fixedly coupled, respectively, to theupper right and upper left corners (e.g., 120 and 125) of the beard wrapdevice.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the interior surface 150 of an examplebeard wrap device 100 in a completely unwrapped, or open, state. In someimplementations, the beard wrap device may be contoured to form apartial bowl section (e.g., 155) in the portion of the beard wrap devicethat is to correspond with the bottom of the beard or chin of the user(when the beard wrap device is in a wrapped state). Accordingly, atleast the bottom portion of the beard of a user may be set within thebowl 155 of the beard wrap device (e.g., even prior to the beard wrapdevice being wrapped around the remainder of the bead). This can allowthe user to properly orient the beard wrap device on their face andenhance the beard wrap device's ability to effectively capture moisturefrom products deposited on the beard (e.g., with a portion of the excessproduct settling within the partial bowl section 155 when in the wrapperstate).

The beard wrap device may be closed, or wrapped, around the chin orbeard of a user by taking one of the bottom corners (or flaps) 130, 135of the beard wrap device and folding it upward and connecting it to anopposing upper corner (e.g., 125, 120) of the beard wrap. For instance,FIG. 3 shows that a bottom right flap 130 has been folded upward andcoupled to the upper left corner 125 of the beard wrap device 100 topartially complete the wrapping of the beard wrap. Bringing the bottomleft flap 135 upward and connecting the bottom left flap to a top rightcorner 120 may result in the completed wrapping of the beard wrap (suchas shown in FIG. 1).

FIGS. 4 and 5 show perspective views of an external surface of anexample beard wrap device. The perspective views of FIGS. 4 and 5 showan external view of the contoured dimensions 180 of the beard wrapdevice (corresponding to the partial bowl formed on the interior surfaceof the beard wrap device). In some implementations, a hook and loopfastening system may be deployed to fasten the lower corners or flaps tothe opposing upper corners or flaps. For instance, a section of knitloop 170, 175 may be provided on the upper corners 120, 125 of theexample beard wrap device, while corresponding sections of plastic hooksections 140, 145 (as shown in the view of FIG. 2) may be provided atthe bottom corners (e.g., 130, 135). In other implementations, hooksections may be alternatively provided at the upper corners, while loopsections are provided in the bottom flaps, among other exampleimplementations.

While the example above showed and discussed the use of ahook-and-loop-based fastened to fasten the lower corners to the uppercorners of the beard wrap device, other implementations may utilizealternative attachment mechanisms provided at the corners and end flapsof the beard wrap. Various attachments may be utilized, such as snaps,buttons, hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g., VELCRO™ brand fasteners),release-button, zippers (metal or plastic), magnets, quick-releasebuckles, side/center release buckles, hooks, D-rings, O-rings,tri-loops, plastic slides/loops, cord locks, nylon, clamps,polypropylene, cam and spring buckles, ratchet buckles, brass, snaphooks, breakaway buckled, plastic 4-way crossover buckle, footman loopsand spring pins, metal tongue buckles, buckle, military buckle, FIDLOCK™buckles, among other examples. For instance, FIG. 5 shows a close-upview of one of the corners of an example beard wrap device.

FIGS. 6A-6B show close-up views of an example upper right corner of abeard wrap device showing the attachment of a right ear loop to the endof the upper right corner section. In some implementations, such asshown in FIG. 6A, an ear loop (e.g., 110 a) may connect at a singlepoint to the end of the upper corner section 120 a (and above the end ofa strip of hook-and-loop fastener material 170 a running along a portionof the perimeter of the upper corner section. In an alternativeimplementation, shown in the example of FIG. 6B, an ear loop 110 b mayconnect at its two ends at different points of the upper corner section120 b. In some implementations, the ear loop may be a continuous looplooped through a sleeve formed in the upper corner section, among otherexample implementations. FIG. 6B also shows alternative placement andgeometry of an example upper corner section 120 b, its fastener material170 b (e.g., a segment of hook-and-loop fastener material) and thecorresponding bottom flap section 135 b connected to the upper cornersection 120 b. It should be appreciated the various upper and lowercorners or flap geometries may be utilized without departing from themore generalized beard wrap device concept discussed herein.

In some implementations, specialized material may be utilized to form aliner within an example beard wrap device. The liner may form theinterior or exterior surface of the beard wrap device. In someimplementations, the liner may be an intermediate layer between theinterior surface and exterior surface of the beard wrap device. Theinner and outer surfaces may be two separate layers in someimplementations and formed of different materials. In other instances,the inner and outer surfaces may be the opposing surfaces of the samelayer, among other example implementations.

In some implementations, the liner may be composed of a material that iswater-tight, non-absorbent, or is otherwise capable of containing aliquid compound, cream, or other product configured for use in treatingfacial hair of a user. Containment of the product using this materialmay prevent the material from leaking out of the beard wrap and promotecontinued application of the product to the user's hair (within thebeard wrap). In one example, a polyurethane laminate (PUL)-based fabricmay be used to form an internal surface of the beard wrap, among otherexample fabrics or materials (e.g., natural rubber, butyl rubber,silicone, polyester (webbing), BIOTHANE™, ribbon, tubular webbing,metal, leather, aluminum, latex, GORE-TEX™, vinyl, THINSULATE™,Fluoropolymer Fabrics, silk, urethane, polyurethane, OTTERTEX™ polyvinylchloride, elastomer, or other such materials). In other instances, thematerial within the beard wrap (e.g., the interior surface) may bepartially absorbent to keep a product uniformly distributed on theinterior of the beard wrap (e.g., to prevent the product from runningdownward and collecting at or near the bottom of the pocket of the beardwrap, among other example materials or combinations thereof). Materialsused in the construction of the interior or exterior of the beard wrapmay include such examples as cotton blend fabric, microfiber, leather,pleather, denim, velvet, fleece, flannel, silk, chiffon, tartan, crepe,felt, charmeuse, corduroy, Muslim, linen, terry cloth, brocade, gauze,poplin, damask, Jean, taffeta, voile, lawn cloth, organza, stretchfabrics, gingham, lame, broadcloth, challis, georgette, tweed, batiste,habutai, gabardine, hessian, Bengaline, dobby, mohair, sateen, madras,organdy, chintz, bamboo, chino cloth, alpaca, dimity, paduasoy,GORE-TEX™, moleskin, Bedford cord, crinoline, fustian, whipcord, velour,among other examples. In some implementations, a single layer of fabricmay form both the liner and the internal surface of the beard wrapdevice, with the single layer being water-tight but having an absorbentside to form the internal surface. The same or a different material maybe used for the exterior surface of the beard wrap device, such asmaterial adapted for an attractive, fun, or whimsical aestheticappearance, among other examples.

FIGS. 7A-7F are a series of photographs showing an example of a userputting on an example beard wrap device, such as the device shown anddescribed in association with the sample above. In FIG. 7A, a userprepares to put on an example beard wrap device, with the inner surfaceof the beard wrap placed behind the beard or front of the chin of theuser, the upper right corner section directed toward the right ear ofthe user, and the upper left corner section directed to the left ear ofthe user. The right and left ear loops may then be looped over the rightand left ears of the user respectively, as shown in FIG. 7A. The beardwrap device may be offered in multiple sizes, each configured to enwrapvarying lengths of beards. In FIG. 7B, the user positions the bottom oftheir beard in the partial bowl or pocket formed by the dimensions andcontours of the beard wrap device. With (at least a portion of) thebeard hair placed within the pocket of the beard wrap device, the devicemay be wrapped around the beard to enrobe the beard in the beard wrapdevice and position the beard wrap device in its wrapped state. Forinstance, bottom flaps may be folded up and across to attach tocorresponding corners. For example, in FIG. 7C, a bottom right corner130 is brought upward toward the top left corner section and (as shownin FIG. 7D) the bottom left corner 135 is brought upward toward the topright corner 120 to fasten each opposing bottom flap to thecorresponding top corner (e.g., using fastener sections 145, 170) andenclose the wrap around the beard of the user. FIG. 7E is a front viewof the beard wrap device 100 as worn by a user around their beard whilethe beard wrap device is in its enclosed and wrapped state. FIG. 7F is aside view of the beard wrap device 100 in its wrapped state as worn by auser.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularaspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of anymeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any disclosed structure, material, or act for performing thefunction in combination with other claimed elements as specificallyclaimed. The description of the present disclosure has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of thedisclosure. The aspects of the disclosure herein were chosen anddescribed in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure andthe practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in theart to understand the disclosure with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated.

1. An apparatus comprising: a beard cover configured to wrap around andcover a portion of a human beard, wherein the beard cover comprises: apair of ear loops configured to hang from ears of a user; a receptaclecomprising a first corner, a second corner, a first flap, and a secondflap; wherein a first one of the pair of ear loops is connected to thefirst corner and a second one of the pair of ear loops is connected tothe second corner, the first corner comprises a first fastener, thesecond corner comprises a second fastener, an end of the first flapcomprises a third fastener, and an end of the second flap comprises afourth fastener; wherein the first fastener is to couple to the thirdfastener and the second fastener is to couple to the fourth fastener toform the receptacle, and the receptacle is configured to accept theportion of the human beard when formed.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the fasteners comprise snaps, the first and third fasteners areconfigured to coordinate with each other, and the second and fourthfasteners are configured to coordinate with each other.
 3. The apparatusof claim 2, wherein the fasteners comprise loop-and-hook-type fasteners.4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fasteners comprise snaps. 5.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fasteners comprise buttons andbuttonholes.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an inside surface ofthe receptacle comprises a liner to contain a liquid within the beardcover when the beard cover is in a wrapped state.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 6, wherein the outside surface of the receptacle comprises adifferent material than the inside surface.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the beard cover comprises a partial bowl section to accept abottom of the human beard of the user.
 9. A method comprising: placing abeard wrap device behind the front of a chin of a user; hanging thebeard wrap device from ears of a user using attachments at corners ofthe beard wrap device; placing beard hair of the user within a pocketformed in the beard wrap device; and folding two respective flaps of thebeard wrap device upward and across to attach to a respective one of thecorners of the beard wrap device to wrap the beard wrap device aroundthe beard hair.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising add aliquid to the beard hair, wherein the beard wrap device assists incontaining the liquid and maintaining application of the liquid to thebeard hair.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the liquid comprises ahair treatment substance.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the liquidcomprises a hair conditioner.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein aninside surface of the beard wrap device is to contact the beard hair andcomprises an absorbent material to assist in containing the liquid andmaintaining application of the liquid to the beard hair.
 14. The methodof claim 13, wherein the beard wrap device further comprises a liner toprevent the liquid from escaping to an external surface of the beardwrap device.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein the beard wrap devicecomprises a pair of ear loops configured to hang the beard wrap devicefrom the ears of the user.